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Walking Ark (Setouchi Triennale)

Walking Ark by Keisuke Yamaguchi is a permanent public art located a short walk from the Ogi Fishing Port Area. It is a pretty simple art piece that a lot of people love but I have yet to really love it. I find it to be a playful artwork but nothing that speaks to me and it feels a bit strange overall.

Walking Ark from the Fishing Harbour

Walking Ark

The artwork is a just 5 sets of legs with what I would call a white and blue mushroom cap connecting all of them. The legs are walking forward along a water break as if they are walking into the sea. It is fun to take photos with it but it isn’t as much fun as Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkin series. The only fun part is that you can hide behind different legs and stick your head out from behind them for a fun photo.

Walking Ark

Walking Ark

In 2013 I went all the way up to Walking Ark and did enjoy the views. I would say a walk out there is worthwhile if you want to enjoy the views of Takamatsu and the surrounding islands of the area. If you are lazy, enjoying it from the fishing port is good enough, especially if you have a good zoom lens. I have heard that the best views are if you pass Walking Ark and enjoy it from the far side looking back at the Fishing Port. I guess I have something to do when I come back in 2019.

It literally took me years (from 2013 to 2017) to learn how to like this works.

Then, one day, it hit me.

I’d usually walk towards it without paying much attention to it until I’m quite close, but what I didn’t realize is that it was already too late.

The “trick” is to – when one is still quite far – to observe it as we walk towards it. At some point, when the base of the work (minus the legs) is at the level of the horizon, as we walk towards it, it seems to be moving/floating along the horizon. And then, suddenly, I loved it. 🙂

(concerning coming from the other side, it all depends on the light, but it’s true that late afternoon, with the sun back-lighting it, it looks quite good)